Between the lines
by minirix
Summary: A Valentine's day treat for those who enjoyed 'Beautiful Mess'. Takes place directly after chapter 3 of that story. Chuck and Carina's movie date.


_Set in my 'Beautiful Mess' universe where Chuck and Carina have been partners for close to three years. Takes place right after chapter 3 of that story. If you haven't read that story, then you'd probably find this fic confusing so you might want to check that out first. (Though I should warn you that 'Beautiful Mess' is not for those who hate a non canon pairing. Read at your own risk ;) A one shot Valentine's day fic for readers and cherished reviewers of 'Beautiful Mess'. Hope you guys enjoy it._

_P.S. I know that I've been away for so long. My apologies. What can I say, real life sucks. I haven't even had the chance to read any Chuck fics since last December due to my hectic schedules. So hopefully this fic would somehow appease those who are waiting for an update on 'B.M'. This was written last year btw; back when I still had a life. Never thought of posting it actually since it's just too... fluffy? But seeing that it's V-day and all..._

_Please forgive the mistakes. Didn't have the time to have it beta-d._

_Disclaimer: Not mine._

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The rain showed no sign of abating as flashes of lightning continued to illuminate the chilly autumn evening. Chuck looked up from his book, glancing outside the window and then turned his attention once more in the direction of Carina's room. _So who should I be going out with then? _Carina had asked earlier in the evening._ You?_

She had said that as a joke. Chuck was of course aware of that (almost three years of partnership has taught him wisely) but a tiny part of him had begun to wonder if there was in fact a grain of truth behind it. _Nope. Not going there. Not again._

Leaning back in his seat, he attempted to read again. Chuck heaved out a sigh; he had been on the same page for the last five minutes. As a matter of fact, he had been stuck on a particular word at the top of the page:

Jealousy.

Chuck could define that emotion now. The feeling that he'd tried to deny for so long – tried and failed. It hadn't always been this way though. The men that lined up for a shot at his partner's affection never bothered him before. Carina Miller was after all, smart, witty and a very attractive woman.

Closing his eyes, he thought, _so why now_...

A hand on his shoulder startled him out of his musings. As his eyes came into focus, the first thing he noticed was her clear blue ones staring down at him. And his breath hitched in his throat.

"Were you thinking about me?" She asked with a devilish grin.

"Y-"He cleared his throat. "Yeah. What took you so long?"

Carina looked at him quizzically and seated herself next to Chuck. Sitting there by his side without a trace of makeup on, Chuck was struck - not for the first time - with awe by the girl in front of him. It wasn't so much her beauty that captivated him. No. It was her simplicity. That side of her away from their spy life. A part that only he was privy to. For a moment, he deluded himself into thinking that she wasn't a spy; and that _he_ wasn't a spy. What would happen if they had met under different circumstances? Would she even notice him? Would he dare ask her out on a date? But all too soon he was reminded of a road he had taken not too long ago. A path Chuck wasn't willing to walk again. An end he knew all too well. _We're better off as friends anyway._

"You surely took your time getting ready for our movie date. I was thinking of starting without you."

"So where's my bouquet of flowers?" She asked.

When Chuck shot her a blank stare, she continued innocently. "Well you did say that it's a date, didn't you? You didn't even bring me candies?" Putting on a pout, she added, "How unromantic."

_Date? When did- _Chuck kicked himself mentally at his slip-up. Feeling emboldened, he countered, "I _am_ a romantic."

"Are you?" Carina drawled, a sly smirk appearing on her features.

"I have... moves."

Leaning in, she whispered in his ear, "Show me."

He really should have learned to keep his mouth shut.

A sudden bout of nervous anxiety seized him. His mouth went dry; the words he'd formed died in his throat. As his eyes swept anxiously across the room, the fleeting sight of the DVDs he'd stacked on the coffee table was just the distraction he needed. Reaching hastily for a copy, he brandished it in front of her.

"How about this one?"

_Was that disappointment in her eyes?_

"_Happy Feet?"_

"What?" He flipped the DVD over and coughed in embarrassment. "Wrong one." _That explains it._ Replacing it with another, he said, "I meant this one."

The agent studied him with what Chuck could only interpret as equal parts amusement and resignation. Amusement; Chuck could understand but resignation?

"Not interested?"

Shaking her head, she reached for another copy on the table. "What's this?" She asked, holding it up. "Seems okay."

"'Before Sunset'. One of Ellie's favourite. And mine too," he added, smiling wistfully. "So this is what you wanna watch?"

"I don't have much of a choice, do I? That one," she pointed as if in disgust at 'Serenity' DVD, "looks ridiculous. And that one," she scrunched up her nose, at 'Happy Feet' DVD, "looks stupid. What is with you and penguin movies anyway?"

Her question elicited his laughter. "So no sci-fi or penguins. 'Before Sunset' it is then," he said, getting off the couch to insert the disc in the player. "Carina Miller... a romantic. I never would've guessed- but," he quickly added when he saw her looks, "you're right. This is the only decent one out of the three."

"Thought so." Carina muttered, stretching herself on the couch. "You see the things that I put up with? We have been labouring at the office since morning and I'm stuck here watching your nerdy movie when we have our first night off in ages." She groaned. "There goes my dating life and my reputation- oh, grab my pillow for me will you?" She called out to him as he walked past her towards the kitchen.

Chuck came back minutes later, her pillow under one arm and two mugs of hot chocolate in his hands. "So where am I going to sit?"

She pointed lazily in the direction of the floor, her eyes on the LED screen. "The couch's mine."

"How mean. I even made you hot cocoa."

Receiving no reaction from her, Chuck lighted up in mischief and placed both mugs on the table. "I'm not giving you your pillow, Miller." He watched as she peeled her eyes away from the screen and regarded him suspiciously_. Finally._

Lifting the pillow up to his eye-level, he made a show of inspecting it and gasped. "Is that... a stain? Agent Miller, did you drool in your sleep?" She was sitting upright now, biting her lower lips; her eyes narrowing.

Chuck unconsciously took a step back. _Fight or flight?_ He grinned and sniffed said pillow. "Eww... it smells li- Arggh!"

With lightning quick movement, Carina sprang from the couch and pinned Chuck to the floor. Straddling his torso, she held down both his wrists in a vice-like grip and smirked. "You were saying?"

Words deserted him for the second time that evening. He could only stare back dumbly at her. Stunned by her proximity, the only thing Chuck was aware of was her warm breath on his face.

"Not so tough now are you?" She taunted.

Swallowing hard, he managed to eke out, "Not fair."

"How so?"

"You, attacking me like this. You know I can't hit you."

"Hah," she scoffed. "Because I'm a girl?"

"Because it's you."

Her gaze softened for a second before she stretched out to grab the pillow. Rising from the floor, she walked back to her seat and declared, "I'm still taking the couch."

Unrelenting, Chuck stood in front of her and pulled his puppy dog look.

_One..._

He counted silently in his head.

_Two..._

Her lips were curling ever so slightly at the ends.

_Three-_

"Jeez," she exclaimed in mock annoyance. _Success._ "Here," she patted on the empty spot on the sofa. "You can take that end of the couch."

"I thought that look didn't work on you." He chuckled as he settled down.

"It doesn't. It's distracting me from watching the movie. So shut up, Chuck," Carina shot back at him, shoved the pillow onto his lap and laid her head on it.

"Here you go." Grinning, he held out his palm to her; his hand revealing a few pieces of Hershey's chocolate kisses. "I didn't get you roses but these 'kisses' will do, right? Luckily you didn't crush them."

"Cheesy," she mumbled.

"Excuse me?"

Rolling her eyes but smiling despite herself, Carina unwrapped two of them; popping one in her mouth and the other in his and said, "Not another word. Just watch the movie."

And so Chuck kept his silence, stealing a glance at his partner every once in while. Not even favourite movie could set his mind at ease. He knew something was happening. Their relationship was evolving; into what he just didn't know. With his thoughts a million miles away, Chuck dragged his eyes away from her and fixed them on the moving images on the screen.

As the movie rolled to an end, his gaze fell back on Carina and he couldn't help smiling fondly at her. She was already fast asleep.

He studied her side profile filing in every detail in his mind. If there was one thing Carina disliked about her features; it was her freckles dotting her cheeks. But Chuck had always thought that they looked cute on her. Losing himself in the moment, he pushed away an errant strand of hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear.

"What did I tell you about staring, Chuck?" She muttered; her eyes still closed.

"You're awake?"

She shifted her position, her eyes looking straight up into his. "Did you think that I'm able to sleep when I feel you staring at me like that?"

"Well you told me not to speak. So I did the next best thing," Chuck replied, waggling his eyebrows; earning him a light smack on his arms.

"So what would that be? Staring at me freakily?"

"It's more like gazing at you appreciatively."

"Oh?" She perked up, sounding intrigued. "Are you flirting with me Agent Carmichael? Because it sounded like you were making a move on me."

"So how am I doing so far?"

A raised eyebrow was the response he received; and he understood why. It was the first time Chuck had ever admitted to flirting back. He'd gotten so good at denying.

"I've taught you well," she finally said and they both broke into chuckles before lapsing into a comfortable lull. Chuck cherished moments like these. Moments when they just enjoyed each others company without exchanging a word. He only wondered if he could have it forever.

"Do you regret joining the CIA?" Chuck asked after a while.

"What you wanted to ask was: do I regret being partnered up with you?" Her lips twisting into a smile, Carina continued, "Answer is yes. You were a pain in the neck. You still are. You never listen to me. You talk way too much. You made me watch all these movies with you. You've ruined my dating life. You let the brunette skanks at the office flirt shamelessly with you. So yes, Chuck. I definitely," she punctuated her sentence by flicking his forehead, "regret being made your partner."

"With all the flicks you've been giving me, there's gonna be a huge crater soon in the middle of my forehead. As for your accusations, I'm guilty on all counts except for the flirting brunettes. _That _was totally not my fault. I can't be held accountable for that. Told you, no one is immune to the Bartowski charm." He paused. "Not even you."

"You really are full of yourself aren't ya'?"

"Well," he chortled, "it's your fault. Your inflated sense of self-importance had definitely rubbed itself on me."

"Watch it, Chuckie. Besides, one can be full of herself when one is someone like me."

"You always had to have the last say, don't you? Fine. You win," he conceded. "You always do. Must be great to be you 'cause you're winning all the time huh? I bet you've never wished for a different life, right?"

Fully expecting her to throw him another witty comeback, Carina's smile faltered instead as she appeared to be weighing the question in her mind. "Someone asked me the exact same thing once."

"Someone I know?"

Pressing her lips together, she avoided his curious gaze. "It doesn't matter who." She looked up at him again. "What matters is that my answer is the same now as it was then: no. I don't wish for anything different. I'm right where I'm supposed to be."

Carina shook her head when she saw his barely suppressed grin. "Don't flatter yourself. I didn't mean that literally. I meant, _here_, the CIA. I can do a lot more here than in the DEA."

"Ah, for the greater good."

"The _greater_ good? Still being idealistic, huh, Chuck? Nah, nothing like that. I meant I can kick a lot more asses working for the CIA. But I suppose you definitely wished things were different."

Ever since being kicked out of Stanford, Chuck had certainly wished for many things to be different. He had been hung up on so many 'what-ifs'. What if he hadn't met Bryce? What if he hadn't been introduced to Jill? What if he hadn't open Bryce's e-mail? What if the CIA and the NSA hadn't come into his life?

And when Sarah left him on that fateful day to partner up with Shaw, he started blaming himself. He wondered if he didn't try as hard to mend their relationship. That maybe he was the one who'd been responsible for driving her away.

But those questions did not haunt him anymore. And he knew why as his eyes locked upon hers.

"No," he stated simply. "I'm right where I'm supposed to be. So how did you find the movie?"

"Wouldn't know. I wasn't paying attention after awhile. All they ever do is talk and talk and talk some more." She stifled a yawn. "No wonder you liked it."

"Hey, be nice. If I let the other agents know that you're spending your night off with me, lying on my lap, watching a sappy romantic movie instead of painting the town red, imagine what that will do to your reputation. Who would have thought? Agent Miller has a domestic side to her."

Unruffled, the red head merely shrugged. "You wouldn't.

"And why not?"

Her eyes danced with mischief. "Because if you do that, I'd really have to walk out of here and paint the town red with Agent Pedersen. You remember him?" She asked cheekily. "Tall, blonde, blue eyes-"

"It's getting late isn't it? You must be tired. Let's call it a night shall we?"

Carina smirked, stretching her hands and yawned again. "Chuck?"

"Huh?"

"Didn't you offer to carry me just now? My feet kinda hurts."

Cocking his head to one side, he realised that Carina would probably get away with anything. _When exactly did that happen? _"You do love ordering me around, don't you?"

Her arms folded across her chest, Carina batted her eyelashes at him. "Are you complaining?"

Carina gave a tiny yelp of surprise when he scooped her up in his arms. He bounced her up slightly in his arms. "You're heavy for someone so skinny."

"You sure know how to butter up a girl," she said sarcastically. "So this is what you'd normally do for your skanky brunette admirers? Sweep them off their feet?"

"Agent Miller, are you jealous? Because it sounded as if you were."

"Just move your feet, Bartowski."

"Anything you say."

Their relationship was most definitely evolving. He recalled a fellow agent warning him that it's sometimes difficult to know when a friendship end and love begin. As he closed her bedroom door behind him, Chuck understood now that they were somewhere in between. Walking the short distance to his room, he couldn't help being tickled by a thought. As Morgan once said to him:

_Dude, you're seriously whipped._

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_So, liked it? Hate it? Think I should just stop writing Chuck and Carina fics? Tell me what you think anyway. Thanks for reading. _


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